SECTION HABITAT AND NICHE

14.1 Study Guide

KEY CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Every organism has a habitat and a niche. habitat competitive exclusion
ecological niche ecological equivalent

MAIN IDEA: A habitat differs from a niche.

1. What is the difference between an organism’s habitat and its ecological niche?

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2.

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food trees zebra grass
hunting behavior watering hole sand savanna
other lions wildebeest temperature

Determine which ecological factors are a part of a lion’s niche and which are a part of a
lion’s habitat by placing the above items in the correct column.

Habitat Niche
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MAIN IDEA: Resource availability gives structure to a community.

3. What is competitive exclusion?

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4. What are the three possible outcomes of competitive exclusion?

5. What are ecological equivalents?

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6. Explain why ecological equivalents do not share the same niche.

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Vocabulary Check
7. The term habitat comes from a Latin word which means “to dwell.” Explain how this
word origin relates to the definition of a habitat.

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8. In competitive exclusion, who is competing and who gets excluded?

9. What does equivalent mean in math? How does that meaning relate to ecological
equivalents?

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 SECTION COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS
14.2 Study Guide

KEY CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Organisms interact as individuals and competition symbiosis commensalism
in populations. predation mutualism parasitism

MAIN IDEA: Competition and predation are two important ways in which organisms
interact.
Next to each situation described below, write whether it is an example of interspecific
competition or intraspecific competition.

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1. Two squirrels race up a tree to reach a hidden pile of nuts.

2. A hyena chases off a vulture to feast on an antelope carcass.

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3. Different species of shrubs and grasses on the forest floor
compete for sunlight.
4. Brown bears hunting for fish on a river’s edge fight over space.

5. Male big horn sheep butt heads violently in competition for mates.

6. Draw and label a sketch that represents an example of a predator-prey interaction.

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MAIN IDEA: Symbiosis is a close relationship between species.

7. For each type of symbiotic relationship, complete the chart with details about how each
organism is impacted using the terms “Benefits,” “Harmed,” or “No impact.” For each
situation, assume that Organism A initiates the relationship.

Symbiotic Relationship Organism A Organism B

mutualism

commensalism
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parasitism
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8. How is parasitism similar to and different from predation?

9. What is the difference between endoparasites and ectoparasites?

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Vocabulary Check
10. The term symbiosis comes from a Greek term which means “living together.” How does
this word origin help to explain the definition of symbiosis?

11. Use your knowledge of the word “mutual” to write a definition for mutualism.

12. The word commensalism comes from the Latin m•ensa, meaning “table,” and com-,
meaning “with.” If I come to your table to eat your food, I benefit but you don’t. Draw
a sketch to show this meaning to help you remember it.

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 SECTION POPULATION DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION
14.3 Study Guide

KEY CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Each population has a density, a dispersion, population density survivorship curve
and a reproductive strategy. population dispersion

MAIN IDEA: Population density is the number of individuals that live in a defined
area.
1. What is the formula for calculating population density?

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2. What might cause the population density of a population of deer to increase?

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MAIN IDEA: Geographic dispersion of a population shows how individuals in a
population are spaced.
3. In the boxes below, draw and label the three types of population dispersion patterns.
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4. List two reasons why a population might live in a clumped dispersion and two reasons
why a population might live in a uniform dispersion.

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MAIN IDEA: Survivorship curves help to describe the reproductive strategy of

a species.
5. What is meant by the term reproductive strategy? What accounts for differences in
reproductive strategies?

120
Interactions in Ecosystems

100 Type
Number of survivors

I
80
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60 Typ
e II
40
20 Type III
0
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percentage of maximum life span

Take a look at each of the survivorship curves shown above. Next to each type of organism
listed below, write in the space provided whether it is an example of Type I, Type II, or

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Type III survivorship.

6. lion 10. invertebrate

7. bird 11. fish

8. reptile 12. giraffe

9. small mammal 13. human

Vocabulary Check
14. What is the difference between population density and population dispersion?

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 SECTION POPULATION GROWTH PATTERNS
14.4 Study Guide

KEY CONCEPT
VOCABULARY
Populations grow
in predictable immigration logistic growth density-dependent
limiting factor
patterns.
emigration carrying capacity density-independent
limiting factor
exponential growth population crash

MAIN IDEA: Changes in a population’s size are determined by immigration, births,

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emigration, and deaths.
Choose a word from the box below that best completes each sentence.

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births emigration deaths immigration

1. When resources are abundant in a particular area, individuals may move into the

population of this area. This movement of individuals into a population from a different

population is called .

2. A very cold winter has left many deer in a population hungry and sick. By the end of the
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winter, this population will likely decrease because of .

3. A deer population experiences growth when the rate of reproduction increases. This

change in population size is due to .

4. As humans move into their territory, many members of a deer population move away

and join other herds. This movement of individuals out of a population into a new

population is called .

5. How does the availability of resources affect population growth?

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MAIN IDEA: Population growth is based on available resources.

6. In the space below, draw and label the two different types of population growth curves.
Write a brief description next to each graph.
Interactions in Ecosystems

7. What type of population growth curve shows a carrying capacity?

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8. What type of population growth is at risk for a population crash? Explain why.

MAIN IDEA: Ecological factors limit population growth.

8. List three examples of density-dependent limiting factors.

9. List three examples of density-independent limiting factors.

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Vocabulary Check
Explain why each pair of words below are opposites.
10. emigrate/immigrate

11. density-dependent limiting factor/density-independent limiting factor

12. exponential growth/logistic growth

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 SECTION ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
14.5 Study Guide

KEY CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Ecological succession is a process of change in the succession pioneer species
species that make up a community. primary succession secondary succession

MAIN IDEA: Succession occurs following a disturbance in an ecosystem.

1. What is ecological succession?

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2. Fill in the chart below with a description and simple sketch of the four main steps of

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primary succession. Include the amount of time it takes for each stage of this process.
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3. Fill in the chart below with a description and simple sketch of the four main steps of
secondary succession. Include the amount of time it takes for each stage of this process.
Interactions in Ecosystems
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Vocabulary Check
4. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

5. Use your knowledge of the word pioneer to write a definition for the term pioneer

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species.

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